GM may kill a brand besides Hummer

[COPO_Chevy]

Originally Posted by storm79

oops i put daewoo cuz i thought the poll was which one to kill of

i didn't even know they still made daewoos....

i did the same thing

[Chevyrocker]

I say ditch everything and only keep pontiac, chevrolet, cadillac and saturn. GMC doesn't even have a vehicle that is exclusive to that brand. Chevrolet makes all the same vehicles and they're cheaper. Saturn is different enough to exist. Cadillac is our high line, and chevy is our bread and butter. Buick only has like 4 or 5 models anyways, so they could go. Hummer is done for. Saab has been done for. Daewoo was a bad investment in the first place. I guess in reality, we only really need Chevrolet, Cadillac and Saturn.

[JaysonAych]

While Daewoos certainly aren't the most exciting cars on the planet, I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a bad investment. GM has expanded their influence in Europe with Chevy-branded Daewoos, and if it weren't for their investment in Daewoo, GM wouldn't have any subcompact offerings in North America right now during this time of high gas prices. The cheap manufacturing capacity in South Korea also has benefits.

[carsismeZ06]

Chevy shouldn't even be an option. Chevy will always be a car company until the day when cars were a thing of the past. And even then, Chevy will be pumping out modees of transportation.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by jsenn

GMC doesn't even have a vehicle that is exclusive to that brand.

And what brand has a vehicle which doesn't share a platform?

[The_Blur]

Instead of making moderators merge this thread with a new one, I thought I'd bring it back to discuss the ones up for elimination. It looks like Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer, and Saab may be given the axe, but one or more could also stay. Article is by Leftlane.

Discuss again.

[FenwickHockey65]

Saab and Hummer need to go.

[stovt001]

Not counting foreign market only brands (Holden, Opel, etc) GM should have 3 brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac,....and bear with me here...Buick. Chevrolet and Cadillac have the obvious reasons. Buick just has the most potential. The American population is aging, and given the growing popularity of Lexus those car buyers care more about style, luxury, and quality over performance. The Enclave is already an unquestioned success, and the next Lacrosse looks fantastic. Now if Pontiac dies, the G8 can transfer to Buick without the cheesy hood scoops and keep more of the original Holden styling. Call it the Invicta and market it as the family man's Camaro. The awesomeness would be uncontainable. Then to round it out, add a premium compact based off the Cruze. Maybe even add a coupe/convertible and call it the Riviera. GMC, Saturn, and Pontiac don't do anything but sell rebadged products from the other brands so they add no value. Saab has a great thing going for it, but the original formula of hatchback bodies, turbo 4 engines, and quirkiness is completely lost on GM. They need a different corporate culture to thrive. Hummer merged with Jeep could be sustainable in some form, though maybe under different ownership.

[theholycow]

Obviously, few people around here will cry for Saab or Hummer.

Saturn is a brand without an identity. They had one when they started, but lost it. It's interesting to see that Toyota didn't learn from that and prevent it from happening with Scion, which has lost half of their identity (they produced simple, efficient, visually distinctive cars -- but they're sacrificing efficiency and simplicity for power and features now) already.

Pontiac should stay.

[stovt001]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Saturn is a brand without an identity. They had one when they started, but lost it. It's interesting to see that Toyota didn't learn from that and prevent it from happening with Scion, which has lost half of their identity (they produced simple, efficient, visually distinctive cars -- but they're sacrificing efficiency and simplicity for power and features now) already.

Precisely. GM's critics hold up Toyota as a model for success, but GM and Toyota are alike in so many ways. The original idea of cars unique in terms of brand structure, assembly, materials, and parts had some merit. Rebadging other commonly available GM cars has no merit. The only thing they have going for them is the dealership reputation.

[Justin]

I say the potentials for ditching are GMC, Hummer, and Daewoo.

Buick to me is classy, whereas Cadillac is more gaudy. Buick is the simple, classy luxury car, that is generally agreeable. Cadillac strikes me as more the powerful, more upscale luxury car. Saturn is kind of a niche with smaller cars, Pontiac is the sporty cars, and Chevrolet is the general middle-class brand. Saab holds a slightly different market imo. I'd say they're kind of a sporty Buick.

[camaro&T/A]

oops, I should have read the poll question....I voted for the ones to drop instead of the ones to keep.

[stovt001]

Originally Posted by Justin

I say the potentials for ditching are GMC, Hummer, and Daewoo.

Buick to me is classy, whereas Cadillac is more gaudy. Buick is the simple, classy luxury car, that is generally agreeable. Cadillac strikes me as more the powerful, more upscale luxury car. Saturn is kind of a niche with smaller cars, Pontiac is the sporty cars, and Chevrolet is the general middle-class brand. Saab holds a slightly different market imo. I'd say they're kind of a sporty Buick.

What is niche about Saturn? They have the Chevy Traverse and Malibu, and Pontiac Solstice. And what do the Vue and Astra add that something else in the GM NA lineup doesn't? How is Saturn distinct from Chevy besides the dealerships? And what is sporty about the Pontiac G3, G5, and G6?

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by stovt001

And what do the Vue and Astra add that something else in the GM NA lineup doesn't?

...and even if they do add something, why couldn't they do the same with a bowtie badge?